Phone Call
by busy pushing up daisies
Summary: A phone call. "My daughter's father is Tony Stark." Pepper allows a bitter smile, aren't they all? Where there are lost forgotten Diamond, Ember, Trinity Starks everywhere and these claims are more common than you think.


A phone call. "My daughter's father is Tony Stark." Pepper allows a bitter smile, aren't they all? Where there are lost forgotten Diamond, Ember, Trinity Starks everywhere and these claims are more common than you think.

* * *

The paperwork has been growing like bacteria, she notes bitterly, when she glances up to a massive stack that she swore wasn't there before. She stands up and walks out into the hallway, surveys the immediate area, no one's coming, and closes the door quietly. This is what the job has done to her, she thinks, made her secretive. She reaches inside a 'secret' compartment from beneath the desk and emerges with a stashed liquor bottle.

She swivels around in her chair to watch the sunset that wasn't as pretty with all the bustling architecture and technology blurring it. Somewhere out there Tony was risking his life against an alien or other, and she was here drinking. She takes a satisfactory sip.

The phone rings then, loud and quiet all the same, buzzing with anticipation. She eyes it suspiciously, toys with the thought of slamming the receiver down and hearing the satisfied click. It quiets.

She takes a sip. And then it buzzes again, forceful and persistent and she answers before someone comes in and asks her why she's not picking up. The woman on the other side is quiet but determined. "My daughter's father is Tony Stark."

She stills, lips frozen on the lip of the bottle. Then, "What?" The alcohol has made it rustier than normal. You heard me, the woman says, voice hard and condescending and just so full of pride. Pepper allows a bitter smile, thinks, Aren't they all? She steels her voice, asks the woman for identification. Ah, she realizes after the reply, a model. The woman requests an audience with the great Anthony Stark himself to which Pepper responds with a negative, "He's busy. You know, saving the world and all."

The woman hesitates then. Pepper asks for the daughter's name. Raven Destiny _Stark._ Emphasis on the Stark should be emphasized. She pities the girl, growing up with a name like that was sure to inflict scarring memories. (don't they realize Stark is a pretty common name?) She bribes the model then, to keep quiet, waves a check with Stark's name on it (she writes his signatures better than himself). The model argues, says her daughter is so very special and should be able to meet her dead beat father, how Raven's been teased for her massive intellect and beauty and needs to know why. Pepper tapes her mouth shut with a check.

After the phone call Pepper takes out her mini notebook, scratches Raven Destiny under her long list and sighs, takes out another bottle. She doesn't bother with the blood tests anymore (she's just signing herself up for disappointment every time). She likes to think that Tony's changed, became a better man, but some nights she sleeps to lily perfume that isn't hers and unless Bruce decided to go all homosexual on them she doesn't want to talk about it. She'd prefer it be Bruce if it happened at all, to be honest. She likes Bruce. He would keep Tony in check with a simple green backhand.

She doesn't blame the children though. It's not their fault. So she visits them periodically, gives them presents (since she doesn't trust their incompetent parents to do it) and after, slips a check in the woman's jacket in a form of a hug. She remembers before, the first phone call. The crying. She didn't tell Tony because even though she's ashamed to think it, he'd order an abortion. And despite all the action figures, and billboards Anthony Stark is a horrible role model. So she becomes the aunt, the nanny, the mother, the everything for the children even if they're horrible and take after their parents, she's doing something and that's enough. And later when Tony comes home, bleeding, she fixes him up, and when he offers an indulgent smile and she thinks, is that how you always smile with them and says, "I missed you, also, sign these papers will you?", shoves the documents in his face with a giggle. Because she signed up for this.

She reads over the list again. But seriously who comes up with these awful names?

* * *

A/N: Hey, thanks for reading. Just thought of this when I saw a lot 'long forgotten goddaughter, daughter, sister, etc.' in the summary section. Just wanted to post this up. If you don't like it, like it, ehh it, feel free to review. Would be appreciated. Also, the lily scent thingy is just Pepper being her dramatic self. I doubt tony would actually cheat on her once they're in a established relationship. But I wanted to write a parody? sort of thing and even if it's not as funny as you or I might've hoped I still like it. Thanks for reading.


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